The Gryffindor and the Slytherin
by shirleybrown30
Summary: The story of Aiden, the son of Harry Potter, and Gabrielle Dionesia, the daughter of Draco Malfoy. HBP spoilers in terms of shipping
1. Gabrielle Dionesia

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter world, I just own a few stray characters.

"Why must we be here?" a sullen voice said. A girl with long, smooth, white-gold hair was frowning. She was a very pretty girl with delicate features, and she was rather petite. Her large gray eyes were looking warily at an old hag coming toward her and her father.

"I need a new pensieve, the damn Ministry confiscated the one I bought last month. I hadn't even had a chance to use it," her father replied. There was a touch of anger and resentment in his voice, but it was barely noticable.

The girl scowled. The Ministry searched her family manor at least once a year for as long as she could remember. They never found anything connected to the Dark Arts, but the Ministry always took some meaningless statues or family heirlooms from their raids. They called them "questionable items" and always returned them several weeks later. It was an excuse, her father had told her once, for them to keep searching every year. Her father was incredibly well-respected within the Ministry, but there were still those who were biased against her family.

She thought the annual raids were stupid and pointless. They never found the storage area behind the oil painting of the trolls in the library, after all. She knew it was full of Dark objects, but the items were left undiscovered, even after years of pathetic Ministry searches. She thought the whole damn Ministry was stupid. It was because of them she was currently walking on the cobblestone path through Knockturn Alley, after all. She knew her feelings of the place were shared by her father; he didn't venture into these streets more than he had to.

"I hate this place," she muttered darkly. She had an urge to stare at the ground so she wouldn't have to keep looking at all the deformed people walking around, but she kept her chin up. Malfoys never looked down. "You could have easily gotten a pensieve at Diagon Alley," she said stiffly as a cyclops passed, coming within inches of her.

"Not a pensieve of quality," her father replied as they walked into a small store.

Gabrielle Dionesia Malfoy was very bored. Her father had spent over half an hour deciding between three pensieves ("All goblin wrought by hand, fourteenth century, top quality," the smarmy salesman had said). After her father finally picked up the heavy shopping bag and gave the salesman a handful of gold coins, Gabrielle followed her father back into the streets of Knockturn Alley.

She pulled the list of books she would be needing for her sixth year at Hogwarts out of her pocket as they finally left Knockturn Alley and headed through Diagon Alley toward Flourish and Blotts. As they neared the store entrance, a boy walked out with a large bag full of books balanced in his hands. Gabrielle stopped at the same time the boy froze.

"Friend of yours, Gabrielle?" her father asked cooly, even though it was extremely clear the two teenagers were not friends and Gabrielle could tell that her father recognized the boy.

"Why ever would I want to be friends with _scum_," Gabrielle replied, glaring at the boy.

Aiden Potter was the most insufferable prat she had ever met. He was a Gryffindor golden boy, famous only because of his father. He lapped up attention and thought himself above all others, and was someone who always got away with his misdeeds. He was conceited and arrogant and rude, without any manners whatsoever.

Gabrielle could see him open his mouth angrily, about to respond, when a tall man called out to him.

"Got all your books, Aiden?" the man said cheerfully, holding a large ice cream cone in each of his hands. Then he turned and froze, just as Aiden had, at the sight of Gabrielle and her father.

Gabrielle could feel her heart stop beating for a brief second and stared at the man. This was Harry Potter. _The_ Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One. The one who had defeated the Dark Lord. She had seen pictures of Mr.Potter in newspapers and sometimes saw him from a distance at various functions, but this was the first time she had seen him up close.

He had unruly black hair and oval green eyes, and she could see part of the lightening-shaped scar from under his hair. Aiden was the spitting image of his father, except without the scar and with a splash of freckles. They even had the same thin frame.

"Malfoy," Aiden's father was saying in strained politeness. Gabrielle saw his eyes travel to the black shopping bag her father was holding. "Shopping at Bourgin and Burkes, then?"

There was a note of suspiciousness in his voice, and Gabrielle immediately snapped out of her trance. She didn't care whether he killed the Dark Lord or not, he was acting just like those stupid Ministry officials. As if her father hadn't helped defeat the Dark side, as if their opinions were those shared by their ancestors. Gabrielle scowled. Prejudices in Slytherin were nothing compared to those felt by Mr. Potter and the Ministry of Magic.

"Nothing of your concern, I assure you, Potter," her father was responding in a drawl. "My daughter, Gabrielle Dionesia." He inclined his head toward Gabrielle, who frowned at Mr. Potter.

"Yes, I believe she's in the same year as my son, Aiden," Mr. Potter said, balancing both ice cream cones in one hand and placing his spare hand around Aiden's shoulders. His voice was still the same strained politeness, and when he looked at Gabrielle she could tell that Aiden must have told his father about her.

"Not only the same year," her father said in the same silky drawl. "I believe they've met on the Quidditch Pitch as well, have they not?" Gabrielle smirked, not realizing her father was doing the same. She and Aiden were both Seekers for their respective Houses, but Aiden had never been able to catch the snitch quicker than Gabrielle. She could see Aiden's eyes narrowing as his face started to turn slightly red.

"Now if you'll excuse us," her father continued in the same tone, "we have several purchases that need to be made. Come, Gabrielle."

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"So that's Gabrielle Malfoy," Harry Potter said, taking the heavy bag of books from his son and handing him an ice cream cone.

"Yea, the Slytherin _princess_, probably off to buy loads of books on the Dark Arts," Aiden replied bitterly.

Harry looked at his son warningly. "What did I tell you about Slytherin prejudices?"

Aiden made a face. "I don't see you being best pals with her dad, and you guys were in the same year."

"It's important that you understand this, Aiden," Harry said quietly. "It doesn't matter whether I like him or not. Don't forget, I could not have defeated Voldemort without Draco Malfoy."

Aiden snorted. "Yea, I know, I know. But he probably just helped you to save his own skin. He must be doing tons of illegal stuff, because the Ministry keeps raiding his house, don't they! Uncle Ron says he-"

"Don't listen to your Uncle Ron when it comes to these matters," Aiden's father interrupted, shaking his head. "Look, I'm not saying you have to be friends with Gabrielle and the other Slytherins-"

"Good, because that'll never happen."

"All I'm saying is don't look at them as _Slytherins_, look at them as _people_. There are good people in Slytherin, you know."

Aiden just rolled his eyes.

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"All ready?" Draco Malfoy asked, levitating the large trunk. Gabrielle lifted up the large owl cage and her broom and nodded. There was a car waiting for them outside the Malfoy Manor, and the driver quickly clammered out of his seat to open the door for Draco and his daughter.

When they arrived at King's Cross Station, Draco walked stiffly through the crowds of Muggles, pushing the cart onto which Gabrielle's trunk and owl cage rested. The Malfoys were still biased against Muggles (and perhaps they always would be), but Draco at least grudgingly respected powerful Muggleborn Witches and Wizards, and he knew Gabrielle did as well. Still, he preferred to associate with Purebloods, as that was how he was raised.

He looked down at his daughter, and there was a glaze of pride in his gray eyes. They were both in wizarding robes (as if they'd bother blending in with _Muggles_), and she had already pinned her Prefect badge on. Gabrielle certainly restored any honor in the Malfoy name that was lost after Lucius was put into Azkaban so many years ago. She was one of the top in her class and a Seeker who had continuously delivered the Quidditch Cup to the Slytherin House. She had also been named in the _Who's Who of Upcoming Great Wizards and Witches_ article published by the Daily Prophet several weeks ago.

"Have a good term," Draco told her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear when they finally arrived at the train. She gave him a slightly sad smile and hugged him.

"Remember to write," she said sternly, pulling away and looking straight into his eyes.

"Of course," he said reassuringly. "I'll be counting down the days until the Holidays."

Her smiled widened and she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before boarding the train.

Much was said about the Malfoys, but one thing that could not be denied was the love between the father and his daughter.

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"Look Ron, it's Draco Malfoy!" A woman with bushy brown hair that was pulled back was pulling on the sleeve of a tall red-headed man with freckles all over his face. "And that must be his daughter!" Ron Weasley looked over to where the woman was motioning towards and saw the familiar slicked-back white-blonde hair and the cool gray eyes.

"The Quidditch girl who can outfly Aiden?" he said in surprise. The girl looked smaller than most her age, although there was no arguing she was a Malfoy. She had the same nose and hair and gray eyes as her father. But he couldn't see her flying, much less diving around for Snitches, and he knew first hand how good Aiden was at Quidditch. "Are you sure that's her?"

"Must be," his wife replied, and they watched as the girl kissed her father on the cheek. "Look at how darling they are!" Ron had to struggle to keep from rolling his eyes. "Did you know she was in that article a few weeks ago," his wife was was saying. "The one from the Daily Prophet that Aiden was listed in, _Who's Who of Upcoming Great Wizards and Witches_. I only noticed because she was listed right above Aiden. They say she's one of the top students in her year."

Ron snorted and was about to respond when something tugged at his left ear. "Ow ow ow, Daddy needs his ear, Jake!" His three-year old son was sitting on his shoulders.

His wife had turned to his other two children who had just stepped off the train to say good-bye, fifth-year Benjamin and third-year Cassie. "Found seats on the train, then?" she asked as the two red-heads nodded.

"Uncle Ron! Aunt Hermione!" A boy with messy dark hair and vivid green eyes rushed towards them and they both gave him large hugs (Ron only after he put Jake down).

"It's good to see you, Aiden! Where are your parents?" Hermione asked, picking up Jake who had started whining.

"They got caught up talking to some boring Ministry fellows, but they should be here soon. Hey Ben, Cassie!" The cousins beamed at each other.

The train whistle sounded just as Aiden's parents arrived. They all quickly exchanged hugs and kisses and the train left with Hermione yelling through the window for them to behave themselves.

"As if we ever behaved ourselves while we were at Hogwarts?" Harry said with a grin.

Hermione frowned at him. "Do you know Ben got over twenty detentions last year? McGonagall even asked in one letter if I was sure he was my son!"

They all laughed, and Ginny replied, "He _is_ related to Fred and George, after all."

"We saw Malfoy here earlier," Ron said, glancing around at the emptying platform, but unable to spot him. "He was here with his daughter."

"Gabrielle," Ginny said, nodding as the four began to walk toward the gate. "You should have heard Aiden ranting about how she beat him in the Quidditch Final, he wouldn't stop talking about it for weeks."

"Oh, stop it!" Hermione said, for both Ron and Harry had grimaced. "I think it's good there's someone beating him at Quidditch. It'll keep him grounded, something he needs with parents as famous as the two of you."

"So you're saying the Malfoy girl doesn't need to be grounded, eh?" Ron said bitterly.

Ginny, ignoring Ron, said, "If I didn't know better I could've sworn Aiden even had a crush on the girl." Both Ron and Harry blanched.

"He's a _Gryffindor_, Ginny," Ron said in a pained voice. "And Malfoys are about as Slytherin as they get!"

Ginny and Hermione exchanged looks but nothing more about the subject was said.


	2. Prefect Patrolling

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter world, I just own a few stray characters.

"C'mon, get up. We're going to be late for the meeting!" Anthee Thomas, one of Aiden's fellow Gryffindor sixth-years, was tugging on his shoulder. Aiden rolled his eyes at her and reluctantly got up from his seat on the train from where he had been playing wizarding chess with his best friend Dexter Filkins. He had been excited to be named a Prefect in fifth year, and was certainly happy that his parents had been so proud, but a year later he was feeling as if it was just some sort of unwanted obligation. The two squeezed into the hallway and made their way to the compartment all the way at the front of the train, where the Prefects always met.

"Who do you think the new fifth year Prefects are?" Anthee asked, twirling her curly brown hair around a figure and straightening her glasses. "Is your cousin Ben one?"

Aiden grinned. "Nah, he got caught in trouble too many times. I think I'll have to teach him how to be more careful when he's- Watch out!" A large black cat had bounded out of an open compartment and Anthee tripped over it. She lay sprawled on the floor and Aiden was about to offer his hand when-

"Would you mind not blocking the hallway? Some people need to get through." Aiden turned and found himself staring down at Gabrielle Malfoy, who was glaring at him. Aiden was at least half a head taller than the Slytherin girl. Gabrielle directed her gray eyees at Anthee, who was picking herself up. "Don't tell me you don't even know how to walk," she continued coldly. "I realize Hogwarts accepts all sorts of students, but I would have thought walking would have been some sort of prerequisite." The burly dark-haired boy next to her laughed cruelly; Otis Dolohov, the other sixth-year Slytherin prefect.

"And I would've thought not being an ass to be a prerequisite," Aiden shot back, his green eyes darkening angrily. Gabrielle's eyes narrowed so slightly he wouldn't have noticed had he not been glaring straight at them.

"A pathetic comeback fit for a first year, Potter," she drawled. "Although seeing as that's where your intelligence level lies, I don't know why I'm surprised." And with a flick of her long blonde hair, she pushed past him before he could retort and Otis clumsily stumbled after her.

After he made sure Anthee was alright, the two followed the retreating figures of the Slytherins toward the front of the train again.

"Ooh, I really don't like her," Anthee was muttering. "I'd probably curse her if it wasn't against the rules. Actually, I would still curse her even though it _is_ against the rules... if only she wasn't so bloody well good at Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"What are you talking about?" Aiden asked, surprised. "You get top marks in _everything_, including DADA... don't you?"

Anthee rolled her eyes. "Well, _technically_, I suppose," she mumbled.

"What do you mean, technically?" Now Aiden was almost concerned. Anthee was the most studious person he'd ever known; she spent most of her life hidden in books. "Merlin's beard, Anthee- you got ten 'Outstanding' O.W.L.'s! I bet no one else comes _close_!"

"I _study_ for my grades," Anthee hissed irritably. "Haven't you ever noticed Gabrielle in class? She's a natural at everything! If she studied half as much as I did, there'd be no doubt who would be at the top of the class. Look, I don't want to talk about it." Aiden had just opened his mouth, and he promptly shut it, though his facial expression was clearly one of disagreement. Naturally good at magic or not, Gabrielle Malfoy was a Slytherin, and no Slytherin could compare to a Gryffindor. With a pang he remembered his dad's words from Diagon Alley. _...don't look at them as _Slytherins_, look at them as _people.

Aiden shook his head with a grimace. Gabrielle Malfoy could not be counted as a person.

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It was a week into the school year, and Gabrielle was sitting at the Slytherin table eating breakfast. She gave the bacon and sausages and disgusted look and piled fruit and pancakes onto her plate instead. It wasn't that she was a vegetarian, it was just that she tended to avoid certain meats. She wasn't sure why, she just didn't like the taste of the oil and grease that the Hogwarts breakfast meats were always smothered in. Her father was the same way. Anyway, it was because of her avoidance of those foods that she had a flawless porcelin complexion.

Harper Mulciber was sitting across from her, talking animatedly about the latest gossip on the Notts. Gabrielle was only half paying attention. Harper's father was a friend of her father's and sometimes Harper could incredibly amusing, but other times she was simply boring. This was one of those times.

"...and so Priscilla apparently found shrinking skulls in the manor _attic_, can you believe it? He actually thought he could hide-"

"Gabrielle." Gabrielle looked up from her food to the figure at her right, grateful for an interruption. Otis Dolohov handed her a rolled up piece of parchment. "Your schedule for Prefect patrolling," he grunted. "Our first patrol's tonight."

Gabrielle thanked Otis with a smile. Otis wasn't exactly the most intellectually stimulating person to converse with, but they always managed to have a decent time patrolling the halls together. She unrolled the parchment and frowned slightly. "What do you mean, tonight?" she asked. "It isn't for another week."

Otis looked over her shoulder at the parchment and frowned as well. "Maybe there's a mistake," he said slowly. "I think my schedule's different than yours."

Gabrielle knew there was no mistake. Eloise Bauld, a Ravenclaw girl who was the new Head Girl, was one of the most organized and punctual people Gabrielle had ever met. She was always on top of every single miniscule detail to the point where it was sickening. If Gabrielle's schedule was differen't from Otis's, it meant that Eloise and the Head Boy, Jacob Baker, had decided to switch up the patrolling partners. Gabrielle sighed, this was just what she needed. She would probably get paired up with some snivelling Hufflepuff. Or worse yet, a _Gryffindor_. She could just imagine patrolling with Anthee Thomas. The stupid bookworm liked to delude herself into thinking she was the cleverest witch in the school, and Gabrielle couldn't stand being around people who bragged about their grades.

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"Jordan Fletchley of Ravenclaw," Anthee said as she sat down next to Aiden several days later.

"Wha?" Aiden's mouth was half full of the turkey sandwiches that were for lunch.

"My patrolling partner. He's Jordan Flethchley of Ravenclaw," Anthee repeated, helping herself to pumpkin juice. "I had patrolling duty yesterday, remember? And you wouldn't believe who Fran Lebowitz- you know, the other sixth year Ravenclaw Prefect- got paired up with. _Otis Dolohov_!"

Aiden choked on his food and had to cough for several minutes with Anthee patting him on the back before he stopped. When he finally did, his voice was incredulous. "That's _insane_!" he exclaimed. "They can't just start pairing up Slytherins with Ravenclaws! Do you think I should have a word with Jacob?"

"Don't bother," Anthee replied. "Fran already tried, Jordan told me about it. Jacob and Eloise are apparently tired of the tension between the Prefects."

Aiden groaned, but he couldn't disagree with the Head Boy and Girl. The Prefects meeting on the train had basically consisted of Jacob and Eloise talking awkwardly as the Prefects all glared at each other. "D'you know who I'm paired with?" he asked hopefully.

"I think you might be with Natasha Dutton of Hufflepuff, I'm pretty sure she said she had patrolling duties tonight."

Aiden sighed in relief. Natasha, though a bit dim, was a nice enough girl.

At five to nine, Aiden pulled on his sneakers, grabbed his wand, and stepped out of the portrait of the Fat Lady. Since there were no classes, he didn't have to wear his school robes, and wore comfortable muggle jeans and a tee-shirt instead. He walked briskly to the Prefects Office where all Prefects went before patrolling to get Hallway Passes for the night. Aiden personally thought Hallway Passes were stupid, but Professor McGonagall had insisted on them after becoming tired of having to overrule all the detentions Filch would give to the Prefects. "Cantankerous," Aiden said cheerfully to a statue of a large frog with bulging eyes, which hopped to the side and allowed Aiden through the door that it stood guard in front of.

"You're not Natasha," Aiden blurt out before he could stop myself. He once again found himself being glared at by cold gray eyes. Gabrielle Malfoy was standing in front of him with her arms crossed, and Aiden noticed she held their Hallway Pass in her hand. She wasn't wearing black school robes, but she was still wearing robes and a cloak, not to mention a look of disgust on her face.

"Why on earth would I want to be Natasha Dutton." She sneered. "And you're late."

Aiden looked at his watch and made a face at Gabrielle. "By a minute, _Malfoy_. Let's just get this over with."

As they walked through the halls, both walking on opposite sides of the hallway as to be as far apart as they could, Aiden wondered what Eloise and Jacob could possibly be thinking. Gryffindors and Slytherins never got along! He looked out of the sides of his eye at Gabrielle. Her long white-blonde hair was trailing behind her and she had a cloak wrapped tightly around her. Aiden frowned in confusion. It was still September, and it wasn't particularly cold out.

"Why are you wearing a cloak?" he said before he could stop himself. Gabrielle glowered at him and didn't speak for several minutes.

Aiden thought she wasn't going to answer when she abruptly said, "It's cold in the dungeons. You wouldn't last one night down there in those clothes you're wearing."

She turned to look at Aiden. "If you even call what you're wearing _clothes_," she said with a bark of laughter.

Aiden looked down at his clothes and looked at Gabrielle, surprised. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "These are normal Muggle clothes." Gabrielle raised an eyebrow and Aiden suddenly sneered. "I'm sorry, I forgot I was speaking to a _Malfoy_," he snarled. "Of course precious Purebloods can't wear anything of _Muggles_. Excuse me, your Higheness, _Princess_ of Slytherin."

Gabrielle stopped in the tracks and turned toward Aiden, glowering. "Never," she hissed, "call me that again. Ever."

Aiden was used to behavior like this from Slytherins and smirked instead. "Don't like being called the Slytherin Princess? What's the matter, you-" But he suddenly broke off. Gabrielle was pointing her wand straight at his throat and there was a murderous look in her eyes. Suddenly, Aiden was reminded of what Anthee had said on the train about Gabrielle's magic skills.

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She could see the fear in his eyes, and had she not been so angry she would have smiled at it. She never knew Gryffindors to have fear, least of all the _great_ Aiden Potter.

_Great_? She laughed, and could see Potter's eyes growing worried. The imbecile probably thought she was crazy. Then she noticed her wand, pointed at the insufferable prat's throat, and immediately dropped her arm. What the hell had she been thinking? She arranged her face into a mask void of expression. She had almost lost control there. Malfoys never lost control. She turned and started walking down the hall again. After a moment, she heard Potter running to catch up.

"What the hell was that!" he exclaimed, pushing her shoulder so that she lost her balance for a split second.

Gabrielle's gray eyes were suddenly lit with fury and she shoved him back with all her might. She might've been small, but she wasn't a weak girl. Aiden fell to the floor, where he lay glowering at her.

"Weren't you ever taught not to push girls?" she sneered.

"I don't see a girl anywhere," Potter spat furiously from the ground. "What the hell did you threaten me with a wand for!"

"You should've shut up when I told you to," Gabrielle hissed. "You're lucky I was taught self-restraint, Potter."

"Yeah, like the self-restraint you just showed by shoving me to the ground?" he replied darkly, picking himself and brushing the dust from his jeans.

Gabrielle ignored him and kept walking, silently reprimanding herself. She had cool detachment to all the other people who annoyed her, it was only _Potter_ that brought out the worst in her.

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Aiden Potter checked his watch for the twenty-sixth time that night. They still had half an hour of patrolling left, and they hadn't talked at all since he had gotten up off the ground. They had been followed by the annoying poltergeist Peeves for over twenty minutes and had later on caught two Hufflepuffs out of bed, but the rest of the time their patrolling had been spent in icy silence. Finally, Aiden couldn't take it anymore.

"Let's just stop now," he said gruffly. "No one else is going to be out here." Gabrielle hadn't replied, but the two parted ways at the next intersection of corridors.


	3. The Game of Quidditch

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter world, I just own a few stray characters.

Months passed, and Aiden was kept busy with Quidditch, Prefect patrolling, and the onslaught of homework. Every spare moment he had seemed to be spent studying, which he was extremely disgruntled about.

"I'm still six inches short!" he cried in the Library one day, earning a disapproving glare from Madame Pince.

His best friend Dexter, who was sitting across from him, was shaking his head. "I'm eight inches short. Let me see if you have anything I don't have." Aiden passed him his parchment and turned to Anthee, who was sitting next to him, enveloped in a large textbook.

"Don't tell me you finished that Transfiguration essay already," he said. She didn't take her eyes off the book but she nodded.

Aiden groaned. "D'you know, I could barely stay awake at Quidditch practice yesterday because I stayed up half the night the day before studying for that Potions test. If this workload keeps up, I'm going to start getting worse at Quidditch!"

Dexter had evidently found something Aiden had written that he hadn't, because he was scrawling on his own parchment with handwriting so large it was almost unreasonable. "At least the other Houses are caught up with work the same way," Dexter said. "And all the Quidditch teams have sixth years on them, so it balances out more or less." Aiden had started nodding before Anthee's voice cut across.

"Did you forget what I told you at the beginning of the year?" she said bitterly, finally looking up from her book. Aiden frowned, trying to remember. Anthee said a lot of things, and he didn't necessarily go around memorizing everything she said. "I _said_," she said in an exasperated tone, "that Gabrielle Malfoy barely _ever_ studies! So she's not going to be too tired to play Quidditch, is she?" Aiden glared at her.

That Saturday was the first Quidditch match of the season, Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin. Aiden and Dexter walked down to the Quidditch Pitch in the morning with the other crowds of students. Finding two seats in the stands, the two animatedly discussed the advantages and disadvantages each team had.

"The Slytherins have Macnair and D'Angelo as Beaters, and neither of them are better than average. The only thing they have going for them is their size- they hit the Bludgers powerfully enough, but both of them have rubbish aim."

"Right, but the Hufflepuffs have Smith and Webber, and neither one of them is remarkable. Especially Smith, the thick git. He concentrates too much on just hitting the other team and not enough on protecting his own team."

Their discussion went on about the Chasers ("The Slytherins' Chasers don't get along, it always affects how they play") and the Keepers ("Zoek of Hufflepuff is good for the first fifteen minutes of the game, but after that he starts letting the Quaffle through too often"). Until finally the conversation turned to the Seekers.

"Well, no contest there," Dexter said with a snort. "Malfoy'll probably get the snitch before Shirlington even gets into the air."

Aiden scowled. He didn't need his best friend reminding him how good Gabrielle Malfoy was at flying. He could still remember the Quidditch Final as if it were yesterday. He had been the first to see the Snitch, and had even been in the lead in the race for it. But Malfoy had somehow managed to inch her way in front of him and grasp the struggling Snitch in her small pale hand first. He had replayed it over and over again in his head, and told his parents every single detail about the match over dinner for weeks, hoping to figure out how the hell the girl had beaten him. "She must be cheating!" he remembered saying to his dad. "But _how_?" His mother finally sat him down and told him plainly that Gabrielle Malfoy had probably just outflown him that day, and that the outcome of that match did not in any way reflect on his skills as a Quidditch player. Aiden hadn't been very happy about that.

The match finally started, and it proved to be one of the most entertaining matches ever. Slytherin chaser Vaisey managed to pull of a spectacular score after weaving around and dodging all three Hufflepuff Chasers (more because he didn't like passing to his teammates than anything else), and Hufflepuff beater Webber was busy hitting one Bludger to notice the other one, which knocked into him squarely in the shoulder. There had been a sickening crack, and Aiden knew Webber's shoulder was probably dislocated. Webber continued to play one-handed, refusing to go to the Hospital Wing, and the game continued, 60-40 Hufflepuff.

Then, before anyone could blink, Gabrielle Malfoy was diving from sixty feet, heading almost directly downward at an angle so steep it looked like she was falling really, really fast, clutching tightly to her broomstick. The blonde Hufflepuff Seeker, Christopher Shirlington, had barely turned his broom to follow her when Malfoy pulled out of an alarmingly sharp turn, just inches away from the ground, the Snitch in her hand.

Wild applause broke out, mainly from the Slytherins. The crowd was uproarious. Even Dexter and Aiden were clapping half-heartedly. Slytherin or not, Aiden had never seen someone fly that dangerously, though the thought didn't exactly comfort him since he knew he would have to fly against her as well.

Malfoy was taking a victory lap with the rest of the Slytherin team when it happened. Hufflepuff beater Colin Smith, obviously cross about the match, hit a beater straight at her, where it hit her in arm and knocked her off her broom. There seemed to be a collective gasp as Gabrielle Malfoy started to fall once again, though this time without her broom and quite unintentionally. Then there was a roar of outrage from the stands and the Slytherins began chucking anything they could get their hands on at Smith. Being pelted at with textbooks and Butterbeer bottles, Smith quickly flew to the ground to escape, only to land directly in front of Professor McGonagall, who began assaulting him so loudly she could be heard even without the _Sonorus_ charm.

"-ABSOLUTELY DESPICABLE, THE WORST SHOW OF SPORSTMANSHIP-"

"D'you think she's alright?" Aiden asked Dexter as they watched Madame Pomfrey levitate Malfoy away.

"Pomfrey can fix anything, she'll probably be fine. And if not, the better for you, eh?"

Aiden shrugged. He wasn't happy having to play against Malfoy, true, but it didn't seem right if he was versing Slytherin and they had a different Seeker because Malfoy was all bandaged up.

The weekend passed for Aiden in a blur of goofing off with Dexter and grudgingly finishing homework. Supposedly Malfoy's father had come to the school on Sunday to check on his daughter and have a word with Colin Smith, and though Smith didn't say anything about what Mr. Malfoy had said, he became uncharacteristically quiet at mealtimes. Aiden heard that he had recieved two months' worth of detention. And befor Aiden knew it, it was Wednesday. He had Prefect patrolling that night.

----------

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Gabrielle Malfoy sat waiting impatiently in the Prefect office. She had finally been released from the Hospital Wing (only after threatening Madame Pomfrey and insisting for the umpteenth time that she was _fine_, thank you very much). She had just reached the Slythering common room when she realized that tonight she had Prefect patrolling, so after grabbing her favorite cloak she had set off for the Prefect office.

Trust that insufferable prat to be late again, she thought. It's not as if he was the one being held captive in the Hospital Wing by that deranged woman.

Finally the door opened and Potter sauntered in, and seemed surprised to see Gabrielle there.

"You're back from the Hospital Wing," he said stupidly.

"You're as insightful as ever," she sneered. "_And_ you're late. Let's go." And without waiting for a response, she brushed past him and out the door.

Ever since their first patrol together, they had spent their patrols in complete silence. Gabrielle was all for continuing that way, but she could feel Potter struggling with himself as if he wanted to say something. This went on for about ten minutes until Gabrielle turned to him and snapped, "_What_." Potter just looked at her, the stupid prat.

Finally, he said, "That was a good dive you did on Saturday." Gabrielle's eyes widened slightlyl in surprise. Potter barely ever complimented anyone, he was usually too busy praising himself to think of anyone else. Gabrielle gave him a curt nod and they continued walking.

"That Smith is a really thick git, hitting that bludger after the match was over," Potter continued. He paused as if waiting for Gabrielle to say something, but she didn't. Please. As if she didn't know what a git Smith was? "Is it true?" Potter asked abruptly.

"Is _what_ true."

"That your dad came to school to talk to him over the weekend?"

----------

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Aiden Potter was an idiot. There was no other explanation as to why words were coming out of his mouth before he could stop them. At his last question, Gabrielle turned her gray eyes toward him and smirked slightly.

"Yes," she said. "I believe Father did have a talk with him. The prick broke half the bones in my arm, after all."

"That was still really nice of your dad to come." Stupid, Aiden, stupid! Why was he still talking?

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Of course Father came. Wouldn't _your_ father come if it happened to you?"

"I doubt it," he answered honestly. Harry Potter was an extremely busy man, and probably wouldn't show up at Hogwarts if Aiden injured himself in Quidditch. "My mum would probably come, though," he added thoughtfully. Yea, his mum would probably come rushing to school, fussing over him. "Where's your mum?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Her eyes glinted fiercely at him and Aiden had the urge to take a step back away from her, but his reckless Gryffindor pride wouldn't let him. Why the hell did he keep talking!

"I don't _have_ a mother," she said sharply. "The same way you don't have any brains."

And for the rest of the patrol, Aiden's mouth wisely stayed shut. But as he made his way back to Gryffindor Tower that night, he couldn't help thinking that maybe... just maybe... there was more to Gabrielle Malfoy that met the eye.


	4. Ministry Ball

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter world, I just own a few stray characters.

Harper Mulciber was sitting in the Slytherin Common Room after dinner, waving her wand around her fingernails and turning them different colors.

"What do you think?" she asked, looking at the pale blue she had just turned them. "Darker?" With another wave, the blue nails turned a darker shade. "Or maybe I should try the red again, but a darker red. Ooh, like blood-red. Gabrielle, you're not paying attention!" She looked exasperatedly at her friend, who was sitting across from her in a high backed chair, flipping casually through her Charms textbook. "It's not like you even need to study that stuff," Harper said huffly. All the Slytherins knew Gabrielle was the cleverest witch in Hogwarts- the only reason she wasn't top of the class was because of a few insane Ravenclaws and that pathetic four-eyed Gryffindor.

"I missed a few lessons that week when I was in the Hospital Wing," Gabrielle replied, looking up at Harper. "Flitwick's test is bound to cover the material I missed. And don't keep your nails that color, it's the color Gramilda Vane has her nails."

With a wave, Harper quickly changed her nails to a blood-red color. She had forgotten about Gramilda Vane, the insufferable Gryffindor.

"I still don't know why you're studying," Harper said. "You'll probably ace the test anyway. I bet no one else in the class got eleven 'Outstanding' O.W.L.s."

"Eleven 'Outstandings'?" a deep voice cut through, as a tall figure walked toward the two girls. "Gabrielle Dionesia, you're practically a _Ravenclaw_." It was Vince Jugson, a seventh year Slytherin and the Captain of their Quidditch team. He was an amazing Keeper, and was also quite handsome, with broad shoulders and dark penetrating eyes. Harper smiled prettily at him, twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger.

Gabrielle gave a short laugh. "Ravenclaw?" she said in a voice of disgust. "Spare me. The Sorting Hat told me I was a Slytherin if ever there was one."

Vince Jugson gave a cool grin. "No denying Malfoys aren't fit to be in Slytherin," he said in his smooth, dark voice. "Just don't forget we have practice tomorrow." And he disappeared into the shadows of the Common Room.

Harper let out a squeal. "You're so lucky you're on the Quidditch team with Jugson!"

"Why am I lucky?" Gabrielle said absently as she turned her attention back to the Charms textbook.

Harper rolled her eyes. No matter how smart Gabrielle might be, she never seemed to notice the important things- like how half the boys in school had crushes on her.

"In case you hadn't noticed," Harper said patiently, "Jugson is _unbelievably_ good looking."

Gabrielle shrugged. "Yeah, he's all right," she drawled.

"You are impossible," Harper said, shaking her head. "Jugson is without a doubt one of the five cutest boys at Hogwarts."

"Yeah, okay," Gabrielle said, turning a page in her textbook. "And who are the other four then."

"Besides Jugson there's Edin Taylor of Hufflepuff, James Straus and Ian Knopf of Ravenclaw, and Aiden Potter of Gryffindor," Harper recited, counting off her fingers.

Gabrielle almost dropped her book at the last name. "_Potter_?" she repeated. "You think _Potter_ is one of the five cutest boys at Hogwarts?"

"It's what everyone thinks," Harper said, rolling her eyes.

"Taylor and Knopf I could see. Even Straus I guess could be considered alright, even if he does have a slightly crooked nose, but _Potter_?" Gabrielle exclaimed. "Are you mad?"

"Honestly, Gabrielle," Harper said with a sigh, staring at her nails once again. "I don't like the prat of course, but you can't deny the boy's got amazing eyes and that unruly just-got-of-my-broomstick hair. Not to mention he's a Quidditch player and a shoe-in for Head Boy next year."

"But it's _Potter_!"

Harper could see this was going nowhere, so she changed the subject. "Are you going to the Ministry New Years Eve Ball?"

"Of course, we go every year," Gabrielle said with a sigh. "And it's always dreadfully boring. My feet hurt for weeks afterwards last year- a _fish_ coud dance better than Erwin Parkinson. "

"I can't believe you don't realize how lucky you are," Harper said. "The rest of us have to wait until we're of age to attend. I don't turn seventeen for another six months!"

Harper was incredibly jealous of her best friend. Gabrielle had been attending Ministry Balls since she was in fourth year, because her father was just that influential in the Ministry. Not just her father, Harper reminded herself. You'd have to be blind not to see how much respect Gabrielle commanded from everyone, even the teachers.

----------

----------

"I can't believe I have to go to this stupid thing," Aiden muttered, as his mother smoothed out the new green dress robes he had gotten for Christmas a few days ago.

"You're seventen now," his father replied, trying to comb his hair. "The Minister would take it as an insult if you didn't attend."

"But Dexter's New Years Eve party-"

"Please, Aiden," his mother said patiently. "Your father and I have certain responsibilities, and this is one of them. I promise we'll leave as early as possible without seeming rude."

"That'll take _hours_," Aiden complained, but his parents just ignored him.

Three hours later, Aiden wished for the thousandth time that he could've been at his friend's party. The Ministry Ball had started off with dinner served by hundreds of waiters in crisp black and white suits. Aiden had been on him most polite and respectful behavior, but it had been particularly hard with Erwin Parkinison sitting a few seats down from him. Erwin was a Slytherin who had graduated from Hogwarts the year before, but Aiden still remembered him as a slimeball.

After dinner, the tables had been cleared and many adults had begun dancing, with others socializing on the side. His parents were in the center of the room, dancing away. He had seen his Uncle Ron and his Aunt Hermione as well as his Uncle BIll and Aunt Fleur, but they had all been too busy to say more than a hello to Aiden. He was definitely one of the youngest ones there.

_This is the worst party I've ever been to_, he thought irritably. He had just spent the last hour and a half trying to avoid a rather large blonde girl who looked about his age. He had politely declined her offer to dance, but as each new song began he found her next to him, asking him to dance again. He kept slipping away from her, but she just kept following him, not taking the hint.

Finally, he saw a door on his right that had been partially obstructed by a large plant. He spotted the large blonde girl coming towards him yet again, and quickly ducked out the door and slammed it shut. When he finally turned to see where he was, he felt himself stop breathing. It was Gabrielle Malfoy, but in stunning dress robes of shimmery pastel green. She looked- there was no other word for it- _beautiful_.

----------

----------

Gabrielle groaned. Her hiding spot had been discovered, and by one of the last people she ever wanted to see.

"What are you doing here?" Aiden Potter asked her in surprise. They were standing on a small balcony overlooking a large garden.

"What do you think I'm doing," Gabrielle snapped. "I'm avoiding the ball. People keep dragging me to the dance floor. This is my hiding place, go find your own."

Aiden ignored her last sentence. "What do you mean, dragging you? If you don't want to dance with them, why don't you just say no?"

Could Potter really be that stupid?

"Say _no_?" Gabrielle said sharply. "Ladies never decline a dance."

Why was Potter grinning?

"So you're saying," he said slowly, "if I asked you to dance, you'd have to dance with me!"

"No." Idiot.

"But you just said-"

"You don't count," Gabrielle broke him off. "Avery, Parkinson, Jugson- I have to say yes to them. _You_ are a completely different story."

Why was he always talking to her? ...And why did she always respond?

"I'd rather not be compared to lugheads, if you don't mind."

Gabrielle scowled, and was about to tell him to get out of her hiding spot when-

"Can I please stay here?" Gabrielle closed her mouth and her eyes widened. Aiden Potter had a nervous grin on his face, and he was running his hand through his hair. "Because there's this girl that keep following me," he said in a rush, "and she wants me to dance, but-"

He began to ramble on about some twit who he was trying to avoid, but Gabrielle couldn't get over how he had said _please_. As far as she knew, Potter didn't have any manners.

"Fine," she said curtly, cutting through his inane talking.

----------

----------

Aiden wasn't sure why he was so relieved. He could have probably avoided the large blonde girl and found another hiding spot, but instead he just leaned against the bannister and looked out at the garden, which was lit up with floating lanterns..

"I used to come here a lot when I was little," he said, surprising even himself by breaking the silence. "I mean, not to this balcony, but to these gardens."

She had a slightly confused look on her face. "But this is the Minister's private mansion," she said slowly. "He only invites people for the balls."

"Does he?" Aiden didn't know that. He shrugged. "I don't remember why we were here, probably over for dinner or something. See that statue of a fish over there?" He pointed at one of the statues in the garden and she nodded. "I buried some of my most prized possessions there when I was little. You know, toys and action figures."

Silence fell upon them for a few minutes as they both gazed out at the garden. Then Aiden felt her looking over at him.

"Are they still there?" she asked. "Your toys, I mean?"

"I... I guess so," he replied, furrowing his eyebrows. "I can't see why anyone would dig up a bunch of knick-knacks."

"Lets go dig them up, then," she said.

"What?" She had to be crazy.

"It's better than just standing here like idiots, and much better than returning to that stupid ball." And before he knew what was happening, she had gracefully climbed over the balcony and jumped three feet down onto the grass. "Come on, Potter. What, are you _scared_?"

He glared down at her. "I'm a _Gryffindor_, of course I'm not scared," he muttered as scrambled awkwardly after her. The two walked through the garden and arrived at the large statue of the fish, and Aiden immediately took out his wand.

"What do you think you're doing," Gabrielle said. Aiden looked at her, confused. She rolled her eyes.

"No magic, it ruins the fun." She dropped to her knees and began scooping up the dirt with her hands. "I used to do this when I was little," she said matter-of-factly.

"Your robes are going to get dirty," he said. He could already see stains of dirt appearing on her dress, but she just shot him a look and continued digging in the dirt with him. Aiden was surprised- this wasn't the prissy Slytherin he had come to associate with Gabrielle Malfoy.

"How deep did you hide your stuff?" Gabrielle asked him after they had been digging for ten minutes.

"We should have hit it by now," Aiden replied, thoroughly perplexed.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" hollered a deep voice. Aiden couldn't help letting out a yelp of surprise. He looked up.

There, basking in the light from the lanterns, was a ghost of a large, fat man with a bushy mustache and a cigar clamped between his teeth.

"YOU'RE RUINING THE GARDEN," the ghost was bellowing. Aiden felt Gabrielle give a snort beside him as she stood up and aimed her wand at the ghost.

"Get out of here," she said, though the corners of her mouth were twitching.

The ghost seemed to drop his bellowing persona and just rolled his eyes at her instead, saying, "You can't hex a ghost, you know. And you won't find whatever you're digging for either, they had this garden totally redone two months ago, brought in the soil from Nigeria. Supposed to be better for the crops, though I find it to be-"

Gabrielle had done a complicated little wave with her wand, and suddenly the ghost's mouth had disappeared. Shooting her a murderous look, he swooped back towards the castle.

"How'd you do that?" Aiden asked excitedly. "Hexes don't work on ghosts!"

Gabrielle pocketed her wand and said with a shrug, "The Bloody Baron told me about that hex a few years ago."

Aiden's mouth dropped. "You actually talk to the Bloody Baron?" Getting tired of being on his knees, he laid down on his back and looked up at the sky.

"Of course. He's a great conversationalist, incredibly opinionated when it comes to Philosophy," Gabrielle said, following Aiden's lead and lying down on her back. "I've never seen him talk to anyone else though. I think everyone else is just scared of him, but he really is just a sweetheart."

"Granted I'm not a fan of ghosts, but a _sweetheart_?" Aiden couldn't believe it. And before he knew what happened, Gabrielle had started laughing. "What. Come on, stop laughing. What!"

She turned her head toward him and he could see her gray eyes dancing. "You screamed like girl when you first saw that ghost!" she said laughing.

"I did not!" Aiden could feel his face heating up as Gabrielle proceeded to demonstrate with a high pitched yelp.

"You Gryffindors are supposed to be _brave_." She was still laughing, and finally, to shut her up, Aiden grabbed a clump of dirt and grass and smashed it on her face.

She stopped laughing abruptly and just stared at him with her big, gray eyes, dirt and grass scattered on her face and in her white-blonde hair.

And suddenly, they were having a dirt fight as if they were little kids. Both of them laughing hard and ducking behind statues as they dodged the flying clumps of dirt and grass. When they called a truce, finally exhausted, both were covered head to toe in dirt.

Breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath, Aiden started walking back toward the mansion, Gabrielle next to him.

"That was fun," he said quietly. He had forgotten who he had been laughing with, and once he had remembered it had been Gabrielle, he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

She nodded. They stopped right in front of the balcony, and Aiden could hear music playing as the adults laughed and talked inside. Gabrielle had taken out her wand and with a wave, both of them were cleaned off.

"So... what now," he said nevously, raking a hand through his hair. Suddenly, the music stopped and he heard the adults start chanting a countdown. Had they been outside for so long?

"Ten... Nine... Eight..."

"This... wasn't supposed to happen," Gabrielle was saying to him, brushing a strand her long hair out of her face.

"Seven... Six..."

"So..." Gabrielle continued, but she trailed off.

"Five... Four..."

"One time thing, then?" Aiden said slowly.

"Three..."

"Yeah. Yeah, one time thing..."

"Two..."

"Can I at least kiss you?"

"One."


	5. Friends

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter world, I just own a few stray characters.

Ron Weasly sat in a large, frayed armchair with a Firewhiskey clasped in one hand, talking and laughing with his wife and his sister and his brother-in-law.

"I can't believe the Holidays are over and the kids are already back at Hogwarts," Hermione was saying. "Didn't the Holidays seem longer when we were kids?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Harry said, swirling his bottle of Butterbeer around. "Time itself is speeding past. It seems like just yesterday we were sending Aiden off as a nervous first year. I can't believe his sixth year is half over."

"Speaking of Aiden." Ginny looked at Ron and Hermione. "Did either of you see him near the end of the Ministry Ball last week?"

Ron and Hermione both shook their heads.

"I remember seeing him sitting at a table looking really bored," Ron said, "but that was only about two hours into it. Why do you ask?"

Harry shrugged. "I went to look for him a few hours into the ball but he had disappeared. He didn't reappear until after the Countdown, and he won't tell us where he was."

"Maybe he was just with a girl," Hermione suggested. Ron looked scandalized.

"That's what I thought!" Ginny said. "And he kept staring off into space, so I thought he _must_ be lovesick! But then why wouldn't he tell us? We knew all about it when he was dating that Caitlyn girl."

"And besides," Harry added, "I don't think there were many girls there his age."

"Didn't Alador Clement bring his daughter to the ball?" Hermione asked Ron.

Ron snorted. "I doubt it's _her_, she reminds me of a small whale with blonde hair."

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Gabrielle could hear their footsteps echoing loudly, could feel the horrible tension between them. It was their first Prefect patrol since after the holidays. For the most part everything in her life was exactly as it should be. Her father hadn't asked any questions, her friends hadn't asked questions past who she had danced with, and the classes Slytherins shared with the Gryffindors had been easy to manage; she never bothered talking to Aiden Potter during classes, after all. But now it was just the two of them, walking silently through the hallways. She could feel him darting quick glances at her, but she set her face expressionless and pretended not to notice. Growing up, she had learned how to surpress her emotions.

After an hour of walking, he cleared his throat. "Look," he said awkwardly, "about-"

"One time thing," she said curtly, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead.

"I know I was the one who said-"

"We both agreed. One. Time. Thing." she repeated.

"Just- just stop walking for a minute!" He jumped in front of her, blocking her. "I just..." He began to rake his fingers through his hair again and he dropped his green eyes to the ground, staring at his feet.

"Yes?" Gabrielle wasn't happy. What had happened was a fluke, a _one time thing_, something that never should have happened to begin with.

"You weren't who I thought you were," he finally said, looking straight into her eyes. "And... and I think we should be friends," he finished lamely.

"Friends," Gabrielle repeated. She was about to dismiss the idea, but then... "What would we talk about?" she asked.

"What?"

"What would we talk about?" Conversations with her Slytherin friends mostly consisted of the latest gossip on wizarding families, something Gabrielle didn't particularly enjoy. And if they weren't discussing the latest gossip, no one ever kept Gabrielle interested for very long. No one she talked to seemed to have their own opinion; they always agreed with her. It was extraordinarily frustrating. Her father and the Bloody Baron were the only ones she could really talk to without becoming bored. Pathetic, really- one of the only two conversationalists in her life was a ghost, and the other was her own father. What the hell had happened to the cunning wit all Slytherins were supposed to possess?

"Er- we could talk about... Quidditch?"

"Quidditch."

"Yea... yea, like... like the World Cup last year, when Spain pulled off that amazing play and faked out Italy to-"

"That wasn't an amazing play," Gabrielle said immediately; she and her father had had a long arguement about that match. "They should have been fouled, Hernandez took a swipe at O'Connell when-"

"O'Connell lost control of his broom because of the bludger, and besides the ref-"

"The ref was an imbecile who was too busy staring at Cruz to see-" Gabrielle stopped talking and shifted uneasily.

Friends? Could she be friends with Aiden Potter? She looked up at his green eyes and they stayed that way for a moment.

"Friends," she said finally, and she held out her small hand. Aiden smiled nervously, shook her hand, and they began patrolling the halls again, spending the rest of the night arguing about the match.

----------

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It had become sort of an unspoken agreement that the two only talked during Prefect patrolling. Aiden found the patrolling much more enjoyable, and more than once he caught himself wishing Dexter had the same quick wit as Gabrielle. Their conversations ranged from their families to what they wanted to do after school to stupid stuff, like their favorite candies or ice cream flavor. Aiden began wondering how he could have ever thought badly of Gabrielle- she was one of the most interesting people he had every met.

He sometimes wondered if his parents knew about his friendship; they kept dropping hints in their letters, repeatedly telling he could talk to them about anything. But he almost preferred people not knowing- it would be too weird. No Gryffindor was friends with a Slytherin, it was unheard of. He and Gabrielle were only friends because they were _forced_ to be, he told himself. They spent four hours every two weeks together, after all. You can't go through that for a year and _not_ be friends.

Then again, a nasty part in the back of his mind said, Fran Lebowitz and Otis Dolohov weren't exactly friends; more than once the two had been sent to the Hospital Wing during their patrolling times.

And then there was the matter of the quick pangs of jealousy he began feeling whenever he saw Gabrielle walking with Vince Jugson. Jugson seemed to be escorting Gabrielle _everywhere_, and though Aiden knew they weren't going out (he had asked her about itduringone of their patrols in what he had hoped was a casual voice), he could tell it wouldn't be long until Jugson asked her out.

But it wasn't because he liked her as more than a friend or anything, he told himself firmly. It was because Jugson was a conceited little berk who was clearly evil, and Gabrielle was, well, _Gabrielle_. She deserved better than him, that was all. She was Aiden's friend, and she deserved better than Jugson.

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Anthee Thomas sat staring bitterly at the bird sitting on her desk. It was Transfiguration class, and they were turning quills into blue jays, using magic without speaking. Anthee was one of the only people in class who had anything that _resembled_ a bird, but the jay had stubbornly stayed a black color, despite Anthee's best efforts. Gritting her teeth, she could see Gabrielle Malfoy on the other side of the class lazily watching as a perfect blue jay flapped around in front of her. Anthee was relieved when class was finally over; she couldn't _stand_ that Malfoy girl.

Walking toward the door, though, her bag split apart and her books all went tumbling to the ground. She groaned and closed her eyes. Her bag had been falling apart for ages and she kept charming it together, but Stitching spells were very difficult to get perfect. With a sigh, she opened her eyes and was about to reach down and pick up her books when she saw Gabrielle Malfoy standing in front of her. Before Anthee could say anything, the Slytherin girl made a sweeping motion with her wand. All of Anthee's books collected themselves back into the bag, which mended itself. Gabrielle Malfoy quickly turned and left before Anthee could do more than give her a confused look. Looking carefully at her bag, she saw tiny, perfect stitches holding the bag together. She was torn between being grateful and feeling once again inferior.

"Did you see that?" Anthee asked, catching up with Aiden as he was leaving the class.

"See what?"

"Gabrielle Malfoy! She just mended my bag together!" Was it her imagination, or had Aiden jumped slightly when she had said Malfoy's name?

"What about it?" Anthee narrowed her eyes. Aiden was using that voice he used whenever he was hiding something and wanted to sound casual. She had known him for too many years to fall for it.

"Well- _Why_ did she mend my bag together?" she continued in a suspicious tone. "She didn't even make any snide remarks or anything!"

"Maybe she was just being nice."

Something was definitely wrong with this picture, Anthee thought as she watched Aiden abruptly begin conversing with Dexter about Quidditch. Since when was Gabrielle Malfoy _nice_? And come to think of it- Aiden had stopped complaining about his Prefect patrols with the girl. What was going on?

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"There's something different about you."

Gabrielle looked up from the chessboard into Harper's dark eyes, and she raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? And hurry up, Macnair, I haven't got all day."

Harper pulled up a chair to the table, where Gabrielle was playing wizarding chess with Theo Macnair.

"You don't seem yourself," Harper said.

"What do you mean?"

"Like the other day, when you fixed that bookworm's bag!"

"I was raised to pity the unfortunate," Gabrielle said coolly. "And it doesn't get more unfortunate than that girl, does it... Move, Macnair!"

"We were all raised to pity the unfortunate," Harper said, rolling her eyes. "All that means is we donate money to the Ministry." Gabrielle gave a short, dark chuckle, but didn't respond. "Fine," Harper said. "Why do you keep dazing off into nowhere then."

Gabrielle shot her a look. "I have no idea what you're talking about... Macnair, you have _six_ pieces left. _Move_ one of them!"

"You do _too_ know what I'm- No!"

" 'No' what, Harper... And Merlin's bear, Macnair, how slow can you get!"

A large smirk appeared on Harper's face. "You're in _love_," Harper squealed.

Gabrielle looked at her exasperatedly. "I am _not_."

"It's Jugson, isn't it?" Harper laughed, it was all so clear! How had she not seen it before?

"You don't know what you're talking about, Harper... MACNAIR!"

"All right, all right," Macnair grunted, shooting Gabrielle a dirty look and moving one of his pieces. "Happy?"

"Yes." Gabrielle smirked. "Checkmate."


End file.
